Of Scars and Marks
by Dytz
Summary: Draco can't help but wonder what would be different if he didn't have proof of his past on his arm. Meanwhile Hermione has trouble with the same thing... Rated M for language and Fight scenes (just to be safe)
1. A Chance Encounter

**A/N This is my first FF that I have published, So I'm not sure what to write here... this is Chapter one.. Enjoy :D**

Hermione pulled at her sleeve, tugging down until it almost covered her fingers. Sighing she attempted to focus on the work in front of her, rather than the spectacle that her date had made last night when he saw her scarred arm. Trying not to recall his horrified expression when he made out the word "Mudblood" scratched into her arm; Hermione started rifling through the legal papers on her desk, arranging them in order of importance.

Hermione and Ron had split up nearly a year ago, when he found out she was still in contact with Viktor Krum, even after numerous attempts on her part to assure him it was merely friendship. He had left before morning, back to the Burrow, and now Mrs Weasley refused to speak to her. In fact the only Weasley still willing to talk to her, and face the wrath of Molly Weasley, was Ginny. Harry and Ginny had set her up on the blind date the night before, and quite a few others before that. Luna had offered to introduce her to someone as well, but Hermione had politely refused.

Draco Malfoy headed toward the legal offices within the ministry, hoping someone would finally be able to lift the restriction on him to purchase certain magical items. Rubbing his arm, where the dark mark was branded on him, absent-mindedly he wondered if Granger knew of a muggle way to remove it. Cringing inwardly at the thought, he pushed his revulsion away. He was working on becoming comfortable with the idea that just because he was a part of the wizarding world, it didn't mean that he was automatically superior, having been introduced to a television he was starting to believe it.

Walking into Granger's office, he couldn't help but notice that she had her hand resting on her scarred arm, as if hiding it from view. Feeling guilty at the memory of what had been done to her, at the hands of his aunt, whilst he stood by and did nothing. He looked away from her, glancing at the wall that housed pictures of Granger and her friends, Frowning he leaned forward to look at one picture in particular. It had been an image of her and Weasley, at the Potter's wedding. Only now, it had been brutally ripped in half, and only a smiling Granger stared out at him. Shaking his head he turned to her, hoping to get answers for at least one of the questions floating about his mind.

Hermione jumped as the door to her office swung open, her hand flying to cover her arm. Staring at her visitor in slight shock, she sat there frozen momentarily as she stared at Malfoy. Noticing his interest in the torn photo on the wall she felt herself flush, first in embarrassment, then in anger at herself. Plastering a smile on her face she waited for him to turn back to her.  
"Granger, I was wondering." Malfoy started before clearing his throat and swallowing hard. "I was wondering," He continued, "Is there anyway, with muggle technology to remove this?" With the last word he pulled his sleeve up to reveal the dark mark on his left forearm. Hermione found herself gasping at the sight of red gouges marring the image. Almost involuntarily she stood, reaching out toward him. He held his arm out toward her, looking away as if afraid of what he saw in her eyes.

Gently she held his arm in one hand as she traced the puckered skin. It looked like he had tried to scrape it off. "Oh, Malfoy." Feeling tears well up in her eyes she looked away, taking a deep breath before looking him in the eye. "I'm not sure if laser removal works on magically placed marks." Rubbing her own arm, she continued. "They couldn't help me with my scars."

Draco stared down into her face, seeing the sadness in her eyes wounded him. He grabbed her arm before she could pull away, and pushed her sleeve up. Tracing a finger lightly over the pale scar, he sighed, "I'm sorry Granger, I'm sorry I wasn't man enough to stop what was being done to you." To his surprise she smiled weakly at him, "Malfoy, you are the first man in the past year, to look at my arm without shrieking or hurling insults at me. Even after all this time, even though I used to ignore it, it defines how people think of me. To them I am just what is evident on the outside." To his horror a tear slid down her face as she continued, "Don't let your past define you, find someone who can look at proof of your past and accept that it is the past."

Draco found himself drawing her into a hug, and froze, waiting for her to rebuke him. Instead she threw her arms around his neck and started sobbing. Terrified he patted her hair, "Are you okay? Granger, was it something I did?" When she didn't reply he picked her up, and sat them down against the wall, rocking her gently. "Look, Granger, All that stuff you said. It applies to you too, if a guy cannot handle the fact you survived a war with scars, then he isn't worth the time of day." Reluctantly he pulled her away so he could look her in the eye, "What I see before me is a strong, smart and capable woman, who just wants to be accepted for who she is. Just like me." Sighing he took a deep breath.

"Hermione Granger, would you do me the honour of having dinner with me. I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, and I was always a bit of a prat. I promise I will not run screaming at the sight of your scars, as long as you don't run from mine. I don't deserve this chance, but please consider it." Hermione stared at him in shock, had she really heard what he just said. Was Draco Malfoy, the epitome of prejudice, asking her, a Mudblood, to dinner? Her voice shaking, disbelief evident in her tone she replied. "Your scars don't make you who you are, your choices do. I accept your invitation."

Smiling Draco stood, setting her back on her feet. "One other thing, do you think I could petition to get my purchasing restrictions removed?" With a laugh, Hermione motioned to the chair opposite her desk. "I'll have a look, Mr Malfoy."

**A/N So that is the end of chapter one. Please let me know what you think. The more encouragement i receive the more focused of writing the next chapter I will be :D**


	2. Dinner for three?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my story line.**

A/N Here is chapter two! I am aiming to have all chapters at least 1,000 words. So bear with me, I have to make time to write arounbd the hours I work so the chapters will be somewhat random :D please enjoy!

Hermione stood in front of the mirror, and her reflection smiled uncertainly back at her. She shook her head, she was going on a dinner date with Draco Malfoy, and she was looking forward to it. Taking a deep breath she looked down at her dress. It was an icy blue strapless dress, the royal blue flowers that were embroidered on it marched up from the left side of the hem, increasing in size, up to the right size of the bodice. The skirt flared out when she spun, revealing the pale blue underskirt. She debated with herself once more on whether to put on a shawl or a cardigan, but firmly told herself she was brave enough to face whatever happened tonight. Sighing Hermione put her lipstick and wallet in her small clutch bag, she was as ready as she was going to be.

Draco stood outside Hermione's front door, bouquet of tulips in hand. As he heard the door start to open, he paused in straightening his lapels and stood straight. As the door opened fully to reveal Hermione, Draco felt his breath catch. She was beautiful. Draco gave a start and with a casual smile held out the flowers. "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman." Hermione's eyes lit up at the sight of the flowers and Draco felt a flash of warmth fill him. He shook himself; he was letting this date go to his head. She had agreed to dinner with him, no more, no less. As she quickly went back into her apartment to put the flowers in water, he noticed that she wasn't wearing anything to cover her arm. An almost overwhelming feeling of pride crept over him and he cupped his arm where his Mark ached on his forearm. He felt like he was being a coward having his own mark covered up, his hand was still holding his arm as Hermione once again exited her front door.

Hermione stood on the doorstep and stared down at Malfoy. He was wearing what appeared to be a pale grey collared shirt and black suit jacket with a pair of well-fitting jeans. She admitted to herself that he looked good. Her gaze went to his hand, it covering the area his Dark Mark occupied. Her own resolve wavered. Gesturing behind her to the still open door she asked, her voice almost a whisper, "Should I go and grab something to cover up with?"

Draco felt his throat constrict at the devastated look on Hermione's face as she stared down at him, her body half turned to go back inside. "No!" he heard himself half yell at her, "No, you look amazing." He continued in a normal tone. He held his hand out toward her. To his relief she closed the door and after locking it took his hand. "So where are we off to?" She asked him. Smirking he led her to a horse drawn carriage. He grinned as Hermione's mouth dropped open at the sight of the two Clydesdales and the intricate wooden carriage.

Hermione stared at the menu, trying to decide between the chicken fettuccini and the salmon salad. She looked over the top of it to peer at Draco. "What are you having?" she politely enquired. With a start Draco looked up at her, "Hmm? Oh, right. Well I am torn between the French cutlets and the swordfish steaks. The lamb does sound slightly better though." Draco's voice trailed off as Hermione started to giggle. At the look on confusion on his face her giggles became peals of laughter.

Draco stared at Hermione, wondering what she was laughing about. "Hey, Hermione, what is so funny?" Gasping, she eventually stopped long enough to stammer a reply. "You, me. Us. Here we are having a serious conversation about food." Another giggle escaped her, "Food." She shook her head, "before now, the only other conversation where we weren't hurling insults at each other involved me crying." She smiled somewhat sadly, and Draco wanted to reach over and pull her into his arms again, to chase away the bad memories. "Anyway I think I will have the salmon salad." As she closed her menu, the waiter approached. The moment had passed and Draco wanted it back. Sighing he placed his own order with a tight smile.

Draco grinned at Hermione from across the table, over the last twenty minutes they had discussed a multitude of topics, from work to where they would love to vacation the most. She had asked him about his love life and he had to admit, it had been a pretty sad answer. "The only women interested in me were either after my family's money, or wannabe Death Eater fanatics who hadn't heard how I failed 'The Dark Lord'" the words were filled with scorn and sarcasm and Hermione reached over and patted his hand. Draco looked down at her hand resting atop his larger one and an undefinable emotion stirred in him. He smiled at her, the bitterness slowly slipping away. "And what about you?" He turned the question back to her.

Hermione shifted in her seat awkwardly. "Well, you may know that Ron Weasley and I were married." Without waiting for a reply she rushed on. "It was only brief. He had trust issues and..." She trailed off and tried to swallow around the lump that was forming in her throat. Shaking her head she continued. "He had trust issues that couldn't be resolved. For the past couple of months I have been going on blind dates. None of them were worth a second date though." She finished with a sigh.

Draco sat silently for a moment. "Yeah, I knew you got married, it was in the daily prophet. But you never changed your last name. Why was that?" He watched her carefully as she replied. "I suppose it was the fact that, being in the position I am in within the Ministry, I thought it would be easier to just remain 'Hermione Granger.'" Draco found himself nodding. It was the most logical choice, but he couldn't help but wonder if that had been a contributing factor to their marriage breaking down. If he had been in the Weasels position he would have hated the fact his wife chose not to take his name. Draco froze; it was as if thinking of him had made him appear. Ronald Weasley was in the restaurant and was heading this way.

Hermione saw Draco's expression and warily turned to see what he was looking at. Spotting Ron making his way over she cringed, his face was thunderous and as he reached the table he slammed his fists down on the table and stared down at her. "You!" He growled, "You fowl whore! I hear form my sister that you have been on a lot of dates recently, and now I see you here with _him_!" The last word was hurled at her with rage. "So you're not only a filthy slut, you now associate yourself with the likes of the bloody git!" She could see him trembling with rage and the look on his face almost frightened her. Why did he have to be here, on this night? Hermione stood, taking a deep breath. "Ronald…"

**A/N: And the end! So what do you think? How do you think Hermione will react? What will happen next?  
Stay Tuned! :)**

**Tulips mean hopeless love or a declaration of love**


	3. Blame and the Blameless

**A/N: Hi!  
Sorry for the delay, busy home life and trying to figure exactly what I wanted in this story is never easy, especially when trying to have around 1000 words per chapter.  
But I wont keep you long. **

**Enjoy**

"Ronald…" Hermione began. "You have no say in what I do anymore. You do not own me. Who I spend time with is none of your concern. This is none of your business." Ron glared at her, his expression filled with rage.  
"You say that now, but you were all bitchy that time I went to dinner with Lavender!" His words were filled with distaste. She couldn't help but snap back at him, her own voice quivering with indignation. "That was when we were still married! The last time you saw Lavender before we got married, you were snogging her. Even the way you looked at her before you went out to dinner that night was still like it was when you two were dating!" To her horror tears started to form in her eyes.

Draco paused halfway between sitting and rising from his seat. "Don't you dare put this on me! You were writing letters to Viktor Krum!" The last words spilled form Ron's lips in a slurred growl. Draco realised Weasley was drunk.  
"I told you that they were only letters, that Viktor and I BOTH accepted that we weren't together anymore and that we were fine being friends! That's all we were and that's all we'll ever be, Ronald."  
Ronald snorted and slammed his fist on the table. "You expect me to believe that? What a crock of shit!"  
"I don't care what you do or don't believe, Ronald." Hermione said her voice dangerously calm. A single tear made its way down her face, and her voice broke, making the next words even harsher. "You aren't a part of my life anymore and I could care less what you have to say! You've spoiled everything! Please leave!"  
The distressed look on Hermione's face pushed Draco to react. Standing fully he tapped Weasley on the shoulder. To his immense surprise Ronald turned around and swung his fist at him. Only just managing to duck aside, Draco stumbled slightly; luckily this saved him from Ron's next punch.  
Draco managed to grab Ron's fist and twist it around Ron's back before pinning him to the table. "I'm not going to fight you, Weasley," he hissed. "But I won't let you treat Hermione like this!"  
"Get your hands off me, you slimy jumped up git!" Ron's foot flew out connecting with a solid thump. Draco ignored the sharp pain in his leg.

Hermione's hands flew to her mouth. "Draco!" His name came out sounding strangled. Ron turned to face her, his expression unreadable. Draco felt a hand gently tap his shoulder and he noticed the security wizards had come to his aid.  
He carefully let go of Weasley and stepped back, wincing slightly as the initial adrenaline from the fight melted away and he became fully aware of what appeared to be a serious strain. Quickly, carefully, making his way to Hermione's side he put his hand on her shoulder, watching as they took Ron away, kicking and screaming insults as he went.

Hermione sat in her seat, frozen. She knew that Ron had always been prone to anger, but had never seen him so violent. Draco's hand on her shoulder was reassuring, the slight pressure keeping her grounded. She turned to face him, and accidently bumped his knees with her own. Draco grunted, his face blanching, before he collapsed on to the floor. Hermione quickly knelt at his side. "Draco, are you okay?" She asked, worriedly. Draco's face eyes were squeezed shut in apparent pain and his face had paled further. His mouth moved but Hermione couldn't catch what he said. Moving her face closer to his, she asked him to repeat himself. The words, "I will be fine, just give me a minute" reached her ears, just as the heat from his breath caressed her neck. A gentle shiver ran down her spine, and she surreptitiously glanced around, hoping no one was looking at her. She quickly replied to Draco, "Sure." Before climbing quickly to her feet.

Draco lay on the floor, breathing slowly. The initial sharp pain that had dropped him had receded, leaving a persistent ache. But the main reason he hadn't stood yet was the prevailing scent that hung about his head. The scent of Hermione. The smell had his calm mind in disarray, the fact that the merest thought of her made his gut clench in hope and fear. Shaking himself he raised up to a sitting position, and immediately a waiter hurried over to offer a hand. Begrudgingly he took the proffered hand, letting out a hiss as he put weight on his injured leg. Nodding to the waiter, he asked for the bill. The waiter scurried off, and Draco looked at Hermione, smiling at her. "I hope you don't mind if we left here, in slightly less style than we arrived?"

Hermione watched Draco as he stood, stepping gingerly, testing out the injury. She smiled weakly at him, "Of course I don't mind." She reassured him, just as the manager of the restaurant came hurrying over. The portly fellow was wringing his hands and murmuring apologies to Draco. "Sir, I apologise for the scene, if there is any way I could have prevented this mishap." He trailed of, cringing as he glanced at the spilt food. "I, of course, will waive all bills for you sir. I do ask, however, that you never return." Draco's face fell, but he hid it quickly, smiling at the manager, his voice tight with pain. "Yeah, no problem, I won't return." Shaking the manager's hand he said his thanks for the meal. Hermione quickly went to his side, taking his arm to hide his stumble as he turned around. They walked arm in arm out of the restaurant and Draco turned to her. "Hermione, I am so sorry." Before he could continue she placed her fingers over his mouth, silencing him. "It isn't your fault, Draco." She smiled at him and when he went to protest she kissed him, chastely on the cheek. "I said it isn't your fault." She repeated. "Now, hold on tight, and try not to think of anything."

They Disapperated.

**So that was chapter 3! What did you think? I will try and put up at least a chapter a fornight, (more if I have time) **

**Reviews and favorites really do help, every author knows this! **

**See you next chapter! :D**


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